Hello all.

Joined the forum a while ago and was having problems and seeking help but then never came back on. Here is my story.

I am a UK bander, had my surgery in 2007 at nearly 340lbs. My medical advice was to follow liquids for 4 weeks then purees for 4 weeks then transition o to proper food and that's where the nightmare started. I just dont know how to use this tool and I got little or no support from my provider. Did keep having fills and got to 8 ml in a large band and definitely had restriction and but I started to eat slider foods. I lost about 30 lbs through the liquids/music's but then started gaining and have basically not lost anything. Then a few years ago I started getting pain, had gallbladder out in 2012 and still investigating abdominal pain now but I have new medical help started on the nhs and they do the pain is my band. I have had 4 ml taken out last week and omg I can eat so much solid food! So anyway, now I'm starting again and trusting my band is not the cause of problems but I have 4 weeks before I can see the nurse and Dr again and I do not want to put weight on.

So please would anyone like to buddy with me and help me learn the basics and start getting this right. I do t know where to start but know I want to give this one last proper shot before I think about what to do next.

Thanks for reading x

Back in 2007 doctors believed that the pouch would fill with food and this would in turn make our hunger disappear. Now we know that's not true. I'll include some videos at the end of this post you might want to watch?

The most important process is to have a properly adjusted band. That can be different for each of us. What we strive for is a feeling of satiety and not fullness. Soft stops like burping, hiccups, runny nose and of course, feeling less hungry are the signs we need to stop eating, we've eaten enough.

If your band is too loose, you may not feel the stops? If it's too tight and you haven't learned to eat small and chew big you'll suffer stuck episodes with slime and all the pain that comes with being stuck.

So, you need to find a competent doctor who can walk you up to the green zone/sweet spot? Watch these videos. There are 4 and they're only 9 mins long each. And he almost speaks the Queens English

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3Lwt6ElIs&list=UL Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4jYJipQ7vc part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbdhf44ZweI&feature=relmfu Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF3TCKUn3YI Part 4

Thanks so much for this i will watch them. I have now got Dr's in place but can't see them for a few weeks and just wanted a head start. Thanks again

So in the next four weeks your really need to watch what you eat (yeah I know that's a duh statement). Check out myfitnesspal.com. You can log all the food and liquid you consume. My username is the same here as it is there. Look me up and add me as a friend. There are a lot of other myfitnesspal threads on this site so you can have more friends helping to keep your food accountable. You can also keep track of your weight there.

So, here's my suggestions for where to start... This is based of my surgeons guide and may/may not fit your or other surgeons rules.

Protein, protein, protein. Minimize/eliminate drinking during meals. Drink tons of Water all other times.

Breakfast - I have an egg omlette thingy every morning (look up egg muffin tin meals for recipes - I just add bacon and cheese)

lunch - usually simple grilled chicken and veggie/fruit.

Afternoon snack - yogurt or cheese

dinner - grilled steak or chicken with a veggie

I'm boring and don't vary my meals much at all.

I try to keep my calories between 800-1000 calories / day but I have a good fill and I'm still trying to lose. Good luck!! You got this

Thanks so much for the advice given. I have loved the videos. ..Can't believe I have had a band so long and know nothing going really! I am very cross with my original provider. Anyway I have made a plan and so far so good and I'm learning to listen to my band.

Thanks so much for the advice given. I have loved the videos. ..Can't believe I have had a band so long and know nothing going really! I am very cross with my original provider. Anyway I have made a plan and so far so good and I'm learning to listen to my band.

Don't be too hard on your original provider, much of this was not known 7 years ago. Heck, even now there are many docs who are unaware of how this all works including my own doc.